Gomja's Godmother
“Watching Gongja makes me ashamed to be an adult. Well then, I’ll be going now.”
I had nothing to say to that.
“Oh, g-goodbye.”
PD Seonwoo Yeongjae kept scratching the bridge of his nose as he disappeared through the door.
I let out a long sigh.
That’s the second angel already.
Surely I won’t have to hear that angel nonsense again, will I?
No, well—it’s fine when I’m little.
There’s no way they’ll still be saying it when I grow up.
I shook my head hard, my whole body quivering.
That can’t happen.
If it did, I’d have to escape it by becoming some truly vicious villain, even if it meant becoming one for real.
I was just making that resolution when the door suddenly flew open.
I blinked.
“Huh?”
Tears spilled again.
“Gongja!”
Mom quickly rubbed sanitizer into her hands as she hurried toward me. I beamed and called out, “Mama!”
“My angel, I heard you fell asleep again!”
Mom wrapped me in a tight hug.
Damn it.
Come to think of it, this was the one I should’ve handled first.
This is a whole mountain on top of a mountain.
I let out another long sigh. Besides, thirty minutes had felt absurdly long.
And my tears still haven’t stopped.
Do I have to act again?
I rubbed my face against Mom’s shoulder. I was going to have to scramble for excuses all over again.
A little later, the adjusted schedule arrived.
My shoot suddenly got a lot busier.
Luckily, Inyeon still hadn’t aired yet. The PD said they were pushing the schedule back generously, so I should count myself lucky.
And Ki Cho-un seems to be recovering smoothly...
The guy looked fine as ever. Just like now.
“Gongja, you were surprised because of me?”
It had been a few days, and he greeted me with a bright smile while scratching his head.
“I heard you collapsed because of me. I’m sorry.”
No, that’s not why.
“Bro, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Big bro is tough. Even if a knife got stuck in me, I’d be okay.”
No, you wouldn’t, you idiot.
“Is your arm better?”
Really, how bad had the injury been?
I heard the rough version, but they never really tell a kid the details.
With his uninjured hand, Ki Cho-un gently brushed my cheek.
“Yeah, my nerves are fine too. The bleeding stopped cleanly. I just need to recover, but the action scenes are off-limits for now, right? As long as I don’t use the arm, they said they’d rewrite the script as if the character’s arm were injured too.”
So that was it. Still, it was a little disappointing, since this had been a drama I liked for its action scenes.
“I heard you were shocked. Are you okay?”
“I’m okay!”
“You haven’t been losing sleep or anything, right?”
I eat and sleep very well.
“Nope!”
“Phew. That’s a relief.”
He stared at me for a moment, then turned his head away. I narrowed my eyes.
What’s with him?
Ki Cho-un couldn’t meet my eyes.
“Bro?”
“It’s just... I’m a little embarrassed.”
About what?
I tilted my head, and Ki Cho-un muttered quietly, “I wanted to show you how cool and focused I could be, but all I’ve done is stumble around and get into accidents. I ended up making a kid see something he shouldn’t have.”
Ah, Ki Cho-un.
You’re a good guy.
That was what you’d been worrying about?
This is exactly why I used to be close to you in my past life.
I grinned.
“Big bro!”
“Y-yeah?”
“Big bro, you’re awesome!”
I pointed at his bandaged arm and said, “You’re still filming even though it hurts.”
He blinked, clearly not expecting me to say that. I broke into a wide smile.
“Big bro, you’re really awesome!”
So don’t go thinking it’s useless, Ki Cho-un.
He looked from me to his own arm, then hung his head low.
I waited patiently for him to gather himself.
Then he suddenly shouted, “Gongja!”
“Yep.”
“You’re really kind, you know that? Wow, I almost cried.”
That’s a relief. Almost is fine. Just don’t actually cry. Handling the aftermath would be a pain.
Ki Cho-un suddenly gave me a fierce hug. I felt a little squeezed, but I patted his shoulder carefully.
“I hope you get better soon, big bro!”
“Me too. Hmm, Gongja.”
“Yep.”
“What’s your favorite food?”
What, why is he asking that all of a sudden?
That came out of nowhere.
Holding me tightly, Ki Cho-un muttered, “Ah, what should I make for you? You’re adorable enough to kill me. Seriously, I want to make you my little brother. Can I take you home? No, I guess not?”
What is he saying?
For a second I thought he was Han Woo-jin.
Ki Cho-un kept muttering, “If a kid like you were my little brother, I’d hand over my liver and gallbladder without a second thought. Wow, my heart’s melting.”
What on earth?
“Damn it! Why didn’t my mom give me a little brother like this?”
No, why are you cursing your mother all of a sudden?
“Gongja. Um, hey. Can I come visit your house sometime?”
I nodded.
“Yes! If Mama says it’s okay!”
Probably not. This was the Sungjin Group mansion, after all. The threshold was high.
“Yeah! I’ll definitely come by.”
Ki Cho-un let me go with a look of firm determination. I quietly looked up at the sky.
Well, he can say that all he wants, but he’s not actually going to come.
Right. That would be the normal outcome.
The weather was especially clear that day. Perfect weather for filming a historical drama. I sighed. I hadn’t even done anything, and I was already tired for no reason.
I blinked and turned over. The familiar ceiling came into view.
My room.
And I was in bed, too.
I quietly sat up, swung my legs over the guardrail, and climbed down out of bed.
As soon as I opened the door and rubbed my eyes, one of the maids came over at once.
“Did Gongja wake up?”
“Yes!”
“You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t wake you. It’s Duk-soo’s day off today, right? Let’s have lunch with Auntie.”
“Yes!”
Then I heard a familiar voice.
“I’ll have lunch with Gongja.”
I grinned. Mom came over and took my hand.
“Gongja, did you sleep well?”
“Yes! Did Mama too?”
“Mm-hmm. I slept well too.”
Mom picked me up and carried me to the sofa. The TV was on in the living room.
I glanced up and watched carefully. A TV wasn’t something you got to see every day.
Wow, nice.
There really is an international film festival at this time of year?
Don’t those usually start in February?
So that’s it. I’ve never even heard of this festival.
Still, an award was an award. On the screen, Director Lee Jin-hwan appeared in a tuxedo, accepting the prize.
He looks good.
The director was smiling so broadly his mouth seemed to split his face in half.
Well, it was the award for his very first film.
If things went well, he might even win something at Cannes or Venice someday.
I nodded.
Well, Han Woo-jin did a great job.
I knew it when I saw the premiere. That role had been right for Han Woo-jin.
Seeing a project that had flopped in my past life doing well now feels a little satisfying.
Then Mom kissed my cheek.
“Our Gongja is winning awards, huh?”
I giggled.
“It’s not Gongja, it’s the director!”
“Since Gongja appeared in that film, the award is Gongja’s too!”
I knew that wasn’t true, but if she wanted to say it, fine. She was happy!
I laughed and snuggled into her arm. Mom stroked my hair and said, “Maybe that’s why. It’s drawing attention from everywhere...”
So they really were looking for me in a lot of places.
Mom picked up the documents on the table and said, “Honestly, my angel shouldn’t have to overwork himself.”
“I’m okay!”
“I’m not okay. What if you have another accident and faint again?”
I gave an awkward smile.
It wasn’t an accident, it was me witnessing an accident. And I didn’t faint, I fell asleep, Mother.
They were very different things, but did it really feel like such a huge event to her?
Probably because she loved me that much.
I really do need to be filial.
If I didn’t, I wasn’t even human.
Mom set the papers back down on the table and said, “I’m worried because our Gongja has gotten so famous. Gongja, do you know? You’ve got a fan club now.”
Huh?
No, what did I do to deserve a fan club?
Isn’t that something only idols get?
Well, I’ve heard actors can have them too...
I hadn’t experienced it myself, so I had no idea.
“Seems like a lot of people like Gongja. Gongja, do you know what the Gomjas call me?”
I tilted my head.
What even is a Gomja?
Mom laughed and said, “They call me the godmother.”
That sounded almost religious.
Kind of solemn, actually?
Why would they give her a nickname like that?
“I’m Gongja’s mom, so I’m the godmother.”
I frowned slightly.
Am I supposed to be some saint or something?
It made no sense.
It almost feels blasphemous.
I thought it was strange, but Mom looked pleased.
“The people who like Gongja call themselves Gomjas.”
Ah, so that’s what Gomja meant.
But still, Gomja?
Is that because my name is Gongja?
Surely they could have picked something better.
Why a bear?
Mom hugged me tight and smiled brightly. “Our Gongja is popular, and that’s a good thing. But Gongja, popularity is a double-edged sword. You always have to stay humble. I’d be so sad if Gongja ever got weird because of fame.”
I nodded. That was absolutely true.
How many stars have puffed themselves up after getting famous, only to be blown away in one hit?
The public could be gentle, but sometimes it was ruthless.
Who would look kindly on someone acting full of themselves in the first place?
I took Mom’s hand and said, “I’ll stay humble!”
“Oh, my angel. Don’t forget that. Even if Gongja gets arrogant, I’m still confident I can humble you.”
Huh.
Uh... how exactly would she make me humble?
I blinked. Mom smiled sweetly and tapped the documents on the table.
“Gongja. Our Gongja’s gotten so famous that commercial offers are pouring in.”
I nodded.
“Mom doesn’t like overusing an image, so I’d normally turn most of them down, but I think it’ll be hard to refuse this one.”
What is this, another proposal from Designer Jeong Ri-ri?
Mom let out a long breath and said, “It’s a national promotional commercial. I think almost every famous person in Korea is going to be in it.”
Ah!
Come to think of it, I did film something like that!
It had caused quite a stir, too.
Mom flipped through the papers. I stole a glance and saw it was a storyboard.
“Mom is worried.”
Why?
“The thing is, both Mom and Gongja got offers. But all I have to do is shoot a gun.”
I looked at the storyboard scene Mom was reading. It showed her loading a long rifle.
Is this because of City of the Dead?
I had heard that movie had done well in North America.
It wasn’t for nothing that it opened the door for Korean zombie films.
That image was probably why they were asking her to do this.
Mom unfolded another page. There was a child running across a field.
Ah, I guess this is my part.
Well, you always need a kid in a video like this.
The storyboard didn’t look difficult. But when she turned to the next scene, Mom sighed again.
“Mama?”
“Our Gongja is in a lot of it.”
Huh?
It showed a child smiling in the arms of a grandfather.
Well, that’s easy enough.
Hmm. So I must appear in two scenes. Yeah, that was quite a lot.
Mom stroked my hair.
“I’m really worried.”
Why?
“Gongja, always be polite and humble. Of course, Mom knows you already do that well. You’re so sweet, honestly that’s what worries me more. I’m afraid you’ll get hurt because you’re too kind.”
No, what are you talking about? I’m not kind. I know how to look after myself, Mother.
“And now you’re filming with the president.”
Huh?